A Scripta

He opened his eyes to look upon bright lights. He squinted for a moment, then the lights were taken away. He blinked and turned away seconds later. He felt something press against his arm, his bicep, and he turned confusedly to look at it.

A band restrained his arm, then he focused beyond it to the room. He saw a wall, painted white. He looked down at his chest. The same band on his arm was across his chest. He looked to his left to see the same band around that arm. Someone called, "Nate. Hey, Nate."

He turned his head to the voice, to look at a man with very dark skin, bald, with glasses. "Is that my name?" he asked, surprised that he could speak, that he could form words. He was surprised that he was surprised.

The man smiled, his glasses began to fog up. "Yes, yes, that's your name."

"Oh." He watched as the man stepped back, removing his glasses. He tried to sit up but something held him down.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. The other prototypes were sometimes violent." He started to undo the straps. He focused on the straps being undone, then watched the dark man step away. He held out his hand. "Give me your hand." He did, and the dark man pulled him up to a sitting position. "There. Are you hungry?"

"I think so," he replied.

"Okay, let's get you something. I think I have some soup. Don't try to stand yet."

He - Nate, my name is Nate - nodded and watched the man step around some boxes and leave the room. He studied the place for a moment, table, chairs, counters. He said not to try to stand, but he really felt the need to, that he could. He looked down at his hands, couldn't judge his size.

The man came back in, bearing a mug with smoke coming from it. "Cup o' soup, best I could do. Nate liked chicken noodle."

He tilted his head. "Nate liked?"

The dark man stopped for a minute. He didn't focus on him as he smiled. "You like chicken noodle soup." He handed Nate the mug, handle-first.

"You know my name," he said, sipping the hot broth, "what's yours?"

"Darcy."

"Am I brought back to life?"

"Kind of." He hooked a foot around the leg of a nearby plastic chair and pulled it toward him. "You're a clone."

He stared at Darcy, then laughed. "Really? I didn't think they could do that yet."

"I cheated."

"I don't understand."

Darcy sat down. "I had some of Nathan's blood - blood before he turned into a psycho - and I copied it. I copied it a few times. And added a few compounds."

He tilted his head again.

"And then I used this body." He motioned toward Nate.

He looked down. "This is somebody else's body? Like Frankenstein?"

He shook his head vigerously. "No! No! Not like that!" Darcy looked genuinely worried.

Nate watched him, concerned. "Darcy, hey, uh, it's okay, I guess, I mean, I'm here now."

"Yeah, you are. Drink up, guy. I need to know what you remember."

"Remember about what?"

"Your life."

He grinned and sipped the soup. "Darcy, I was just born."

Darcy merely blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, Tabula Rasa. Then let me tell you what I know." Darcy explained who Nathan was to him. He told Nate about the times they shared as kids, then as adults as they worked on each of their projects. Darcy told him of Nathan's drug, and of his own synthetic rock-creating armor. After telling him of how much Nate tried to easing pain, he told him about the Peacebringer joining, something he hadn't expected at all. Then about Ben, how he tried to kill him then save him.

Nate sat listening, stunned at the story. Darcy finished it, "So when I heard he'd gotten out of prison, even though he was under guard, I knew I needed to get out of Paragon. I came here to Houston. But I missed Nate, the old Nate. I knew it was possible. I needed to get the cells together and find a surrogate mother." He trailed off, looking up at him. "But I couldn't wait that long. I found an Arachnos tank. Don't ask, I never asked my supplier, I paid the astronomical fee and started work.

"You're the sixteenth try, Nate. The other ones died the minute the came out of the solution. Some had a hearbeat but no brain function. Some worked but almost tried to kill me. I had a heartbeat and brainwaves from you. I had to strap you down because I didn't know what would happen after you woke up."

Nate laughed. "You did the work but you didn't expect any results? That's funny."

Darcy rubbed the back of his head absently and blushed. "Science."

"I don't understand but, all right." He handed the mug back to Darcy. "Should I stand up now?"

"Go ahead."

Nate turned his legs and dangled them off the edge of the bed, and jumped off the bed, placing his feet firmly on the floor.

Then he burst into flame.